Becoming Alpha
by GreatReadsGR
Summary: One Stupid Party. One Stupid Boy. One Stupid Kiss. And My Life Is Virtually Over. Rated M just in case.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

The noise from the party raging downstairs seeped into my quiet space. I palmed my blue and red bouncy ball as I lay on my bed facing the wall. I threw it in the air a few times to watch the colours blur together before bouncing it off the wall above my headboard.

It was ten o'clock at night on a Thursday, and the party was just getting started. My parents said that having people over tonight was unavoidable. We were leaving for cedar Ridge, Texas – a town too small to register on most maps – in a few days, and people wanted to say good-bye. Any other seventeen year old would probably be excited about sneaking a drink or having an excuse to buy a new dress, but not me. I wasn't much of a party person. Or a people person.

With my stuff already packed up and the TV's unhooked, I was beyond bored. Still, there was no way I was going downstairs. I'd disappeared to my room as soon as the caterers arrived. Since then, I'd found the end of the internet. Apparently there were only so many .gifs a girl could enjoy. Unless I wanted to pay for crappy re-runs, I was out of things to watch and left with only a bouncy ball to aid in my entertainment.

It'd been a bad idea to pack everything but essentials to early. Twenty-three small boxes were stacked against the side of my room. Most of them were filled with books. The only stuff that I'd left unpacked would fit into a small duffle bag and my backpack.

But a bouncy ball was better than nothing, and much better than braving the crowd downstairs. I threw it to the beat of the music and counted down the seconds. Those would turn into minutes, and eventually back into quiet so I could go to sleep. I was really looking forward to a fresh start. The sooner I could go to sleep, the sooner it'd be tomorrow.

Only three more nights until Texas. Until everything would change. I smiled at the thought. This girl would use some change.

A knock came from my door.

"Bathrooms downstairs," I yelled. I held my breath as I listened, hoping they heard me.

The knob turned. Shit. I should've locked it.

I hopped off the bed. "Hey-"

"Whatcha doin', Tessa?" My older brother, Axel, swung open the door.

I sat back down on the bed. He knew exactly what I was doing.

"What do you want?"

He leaned against the door frame. He was well over half a foot taller than me, but that didn't mean much to my five feet and almost nothing inches. We had the same wavy dark brown hair – when he let his grow – and the same dark brown eyes, thanks to our Latina mom. "Dad wants you to come downstairs, even if it's just for a minute. People are asking about you."

I made a face. "I'd rather not. Cover for me?"

"What if I said a certain celeb was down there?" He waggled his eyebrows. "The one who I saw you drooling over last week."

I threw the ball at him and he caught it, laughing. The jerk. Dad's combo of PR work and law degree made him a hot commodity in Hollywood. He now had an enviable number of high profile clients. If I were more into the LA scene, then maybe the guest list would've been appealing.

I chewed on my lip, unable to deny the draw of my latest actor crush – James MacAvoy. Nothing hotter than a guy with a sexy Scottish Accent. "He's really downstairs."

Axel Nodded.

I thought for a second and then signed. "Still can't do it. I don't want to destroy the illusion that my favorite Scotsman is absolute perfection. What if he has a zit? Or spills something on himself? Or worse – what if I accidentally touch him and get a vision? The dream will shatter. And that, big brother, is not worth it. Even if I was willing to risk having a million other random visions, which I'm not."

He rolled his eyes at me and stepped into my room.

"Hey!" I jumped off the bed. "Don't come in here. This is a clean zone." He knew I wasn't referring to the fact that I was a neat freak, but that everything in the room was new. Touched by a minimal amount of people. It was my only defense. A quick brush of skin-against-skin, or even skin-against-other-person's-property, was sometimes enough to give me an in-depth view into their mind. As much as that might sound fun, it was usually more icky that cool.

He held up his hands. "Please, Tess. I know the drill." He moseyed his way to my bed and collapsed. "Come here." He patted his side.

I looked at him suspiciously. "The shirt's new?"

"Yes."

I lay down on my side next to him, resting my head on his chest.

A quick vision of a factory in some Asian country filled my mind. The humid heat has me sweating as the clacking of hundreds of sewing machines echoed in my head.

"Are you sweating?" Axel's voice brought my back to my room. "Christ. It's like lying next to a furnace."

I elbowed him as I rolled away. "Yours fault. That's a sweatshop shirt your wearing."

"Shit. I actually liked this shirt."

He pulled it away from his chest, making a face as if it'd suddenly grown mold. "I should let you touch my stuff before I buy anything."

I wiped the sweat from my brow. "If you like it, then wear it. You already did whatever damage you were going to do by buying it in the first place. You never would've known if you didn't have a freak for a sister.

He was quiet for a second. "You're going to have to come out of this room at some point. You can't hide forever."

He did this at least once a month, but he hadn't gotten the family "gift." I had.

"You're not rouge, you know," he said.

Oh God. He was on variation five B of the speech also known as The Comic Book Rip-off. "You're not going to kill someone if you touch them," I finished for him, mimicking his deeper voice.

"Right. Well. I still think that if you learned to block it out instead of trying to avoid it, then you'd be able to have some kind of normal life."

Maybe he was right. But you couldn't wash your mind or un-see things. "Yeah, well, believe it or not, too much information is an actual thing. Like getting the glimpse of when you and Bambi- "

"Blair."

"Whatever." I gagged.

"I don't know why you're so stubborn. Not letting anyone touch you isn't the answer."

I elbowed him again. "Gross! You want people to touch me. That's so messed up."

"Shut it. You know what I meant." He messed up my hair. "I'm gone in a few weeks, and I'm worried about you."

I glanced up at him. We looked like twins, except he was all angles, whereas my face was round. Axel was only two years older than me, and was, without a doubt, my best friend. "I'll be fine without your butt stinking up the house."

He smiled like I wanted, but I wasn't so sure that I'd actually be fine. Even if he wouldn't admit it, I knew he'd picked a Texas college because we'd still be within driving distance. I hated that he'd turned down other schools, and hated myself a little for being glad that he'd done it.

He nudged me. "I dare you to find out what the deal is with Dad's new job."

"What do you mean?"

"He's leaving his celeb-filled job in LA to work for some random boarding school in Texas. That doesn't strike you as odd at all?"

I shrugged. "I guess I hadn't thought about it. I'm just looking forward to not going back to school here. I don't think I could take another year of those monsters." I paused. I shouldn't have brought that up. "Look. The gloves will work fine in a school that's clueless as to what they mean. I'm old enough not to talk about what I see anymore. Plus, I'm getting better at minimizing the number of visions I get. It'll be a fresh start, and I'm not about to pole holes in something that might actually be a good thing."

"Aren't you curious? Even a little?"

I thought about it. "Well, I wasn't…"

Axel sat up so quickly that I almost fell off the bed. "You have to go downstairs, to Dad's office, and touch some of those papers from St. Ailbe's."

"That's a terrible idea." Going downstairs during the party where people might actually want to hug me good-bye was a disaster waiting to happen. Add messing around in Dad's office, and I'd be begging for a grounding. Only a moron would agree to this.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Come on!" He gave me the look that cocky, half-grin that told me that I was about to get into trouble. "We'll go downstairs, sneak a glass of champagne, you can get an eye-full of Sir Hunkalot, and then we can find out the real story on this move. We'll be sneaky, and no one will see us." He paused. "I didn't want to have to this, but I double-dog dare you."

I couldn't stop the grin. "What are you? Twelve?"

"What are you? Forty?" He poked me. "Live a little. You've gotta start having some fun, Tess."

I wouldn't mind seeing Sir Hunkalot, I snickered at the name. Plus, whatever we did had to be more entertaining than bouncing a ball against the wall. "Fine. But if I do this, then you've got to do something for me."

Axel crossed his arm. "Name it."

I could never think of anything good enough on the spot and he knew it. Then it came to me, and an evil grin spread across my face. "No chicharones on the road trip." I almost patted myself on the back. Fried pork skins were something that I couldn't stomach. Even if both he and my mum swore they were positively delectable.

His mouth dropped open. "What! You're talking about messing with road trip tradition. That's sacred stuff."

I crossed my arms. "They're disgusting."

"You've never even tried them." He narrowed his gaze. "They're delicious."

"I don't need to try them to know I don't like them. Eating pig skin in any form is revolting." I stared him down. "And they stink." It might not seem like a big deal, but on a road trip halfway across the country, it was huge. Multiple bags could be avoided. Two days of a chicharone-free car ride was more than adequate reparation for one vision. "Do we have a deal?"

He left my room.

Great. Now I actually wanted the deal, and he was bailing. I wouldn't give in. If I knew my brother at all, he'd be back in ten, nine, eight, seven-

"Just kidding." He appeared back in the doorway. "Let's do this."

I started out the door and then ran back. I'd only left a few pairs of gloves unpacked. I grabbed the heather grey and cotton pair and slid them on, doing up the apple buttons along the forearm as I walked into the hallway. I would've changed, but there was nothing nicer for me to put on. My jeans, white peasant blouse, and leather flip-flops would have to do. "Ready?"

He nodded.

I only had a second to think about how much fun using my visions for something useful would be before I hit the bottom stair and stopped.

This had to be a fire code violation.

A few people clogged the bottom of the stairwell that emptied into the living room. The party planner must've taken out some of the furniture to make room, but there was still not enough. There were people in every square foot available, and – except for the few actors who everyone would recognize – I didn't actually know anyone.

Waiters dressed in black trousers and white button downs made their way slowly through the room, offering up hors d'oeuvres or drinks, depending on what their silver platters held. Speakers stood in the corners of the room, playing non-intrusive electronic music with a steady beat but I didn't spot the DJ. He had set up outside by the pool.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and entered the madness. It wasn't long before I heard Dad's voice above the din. "There she is!"

So much for no one seeing us. I wanted to hit Axel. So I did.

Dad shook his head at me. "Come here, Tessa," Dad mouthed. His blond hair hid most of the grey that had started appearing a few years ago. I always wished I had his blue eyes, but got my mum's brown ones instead. He was wearing a tailored navy suit, and I suddenly felt way under-dressed.

I brushed against someone and their jealousy burned through my mind. I shook it off and focused in on Dad. He was watching my careful navigation through the crowd with worry. Dad knew about my "gift," but chose to ignore it for the most part. Luckily Mum understood it more, most likely because my _abuela_ had the same one. She always said it made it really hard to be a rebellious teenager when her mother could read her mind. I'd say actually having the abilities made it hard to be a teenager. Period.

Dad pulled me to his side, and I tucked close to him to avoid any touchy people. I got a few flashes from his, but thankfully nothing that drew me in.

"We're so sad your dad's leaving us," said some lady in a super-tight dress. "What are you going to do in Texas?"

I shrugged. "Eat lots of barbeque and go to school.

She laughed and her fake boobs nearly popped out. I looked for my brother. He was flirting with some young girl who looked way too skinny. Must be an actress. "Help," I mouthed as soon as I got his attention.

He made his way through the sea of people. I tuned the lady out as Axel grabbed my gloved hand. "Tess-aaah," he practically shouted, drawing my short name into two long syllables. "There's someone over here I want you to meet.

Dad's hand brushed my arm as Axel pulled me away.

 _Dad was talking to his boss, a silver haired man in a slick suit. His tie was a little undone._

 _"Jesus, John. Are you serious?"_

 _"I wish I was joking." Dad said heavily on the couch across the room from his boss. "I know I'm leaving soon, but this is a lawsuit waiting to happen. She's a liability. You need to get rid of her."_

Whoa drama.

I nearly cracked up at the look on Dad's face as he held onto my hand. He definitely didn't want to be talking to this lady. I almost felt bad for leaving him with her. Almost. "Oh, fantastic," I said to Axel, my voice thick with sarcasm that Dad laughed. "I can't wait to meet this person."

Before I could get away, tight dress lady smothered me with a hug. Her hand brushed the top of my arm.

 _I hadn't been to Dad's office in a while, but I recognized it – the wall of glass behind his desk with an amazing view of the city. She was in his chair, in black lace lingerie._

 _Dad walked into the room and she stood up._

 _"What the fuck are you doing?" Dad yelled as he spun around. "I'm giving you five minutes to get dressed and get out of my office. When I get back, you better be fucking gone."_

Axel tugged me away from her and the onslaught stopped. He brilliantly played it off as tripping, glancing at nothing on the hardwood floor and cursing. "I'm so sorry. Lost my balance there for a second. Must be something spilled here." He didn't give her a second chance to say anything before he started walking away, towing me with him.

Holy shit. Did I just see what I thought I saw?

I spotted Mum and pulled on Axel's hand. When he turned, I motioned to her. She was already heading our way.

Mom was super cute with her short wavy dark-brown hair, and looked ten years younger than she actually was thanks to her daily power yoga routine. A boldly printed Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress showed off her curves, and got her quite a few stares from the male contingent as she walked through the crowd.

"You decided to come down on your own?" She said to me.

I raised an eyebrow. "Not likely."

She smiled, and it wasn't a totally happy one. "That's what I thought. Thank you any way. I know that your father will appreciate you making the effort."

Before she could leave, I stopped her and leaned in close. "That lady talking to Dad – the one that's about to have a wardrobe malfunction – totally tried to come onto him. She's thinking yucky things. Fifty shades of things…"

Mom laughed her big, booming laugh.

Not the reaction I was expecting from her. "Don't worry though," I whispered into her ear. "She hasn't gotten anywhere with him."

Mum sobered and stepped back to look at me. She seemed to realise something and then shook her head. "Of course she hasn't. That's one thing you don't have to worry about. Your father and I are one of the few who have forever marriage. Your _abuela_ made sure of it." Growing up with my _abuela_ made mum able to block everything but what she wanted me to see. No one else I knew could do it. So when she reached out to cup my cheek, I relaxed my head into her hand and closed my eyes.

I was flooded with the twenty or so times that they'd said they loved each other today. She kissed my forehead, and I heard the echo from her mind that she loved me.

I opened my eyes and smiled. "Thanks. Love you too, Mum."

She gave my cheek a couple of light pats before looking at my brother. "Be good, you two."

Axel scoffed. "Are we ever not good?2

"Yes, frequently." With that, Mum slid back into her role as hostess.

"Let's go before anyone else stops us." Axel said.

We made our way to Dad's office and locked the door. Thick law texts were haphazardly stacked in his now mostly empty shelves. Bankers boxes were piled high to the right of his large oaken desk. Two long file cabinets sat along the wall behind the desk. I had no idea where to even start to look for St. Ailbe's stuff.

"You find the file, and I'll touch it. I took off my right glove and stuffed it in the back pocket of my jeans. "I'm not touching anything I don't need to."

He dug through some drawers, and then started in on the Bankers boxes. My palms were sweaty. The longer Axel took, the better chance there was that Dad would look for us, even if that was ridiculous when we had half of Hollywood in our house.

"Got it!" Axel stepped around the mess he'd made and handed me a folder.

I grabbed it and my father's office disappeared.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

An image flashed through my mind. Five red brick buildings in a circle, surrounded by forest. Teenagers. Students carrying books walking through the center of them. Wolves running through the forest around the buildings.

Why weren't the students scared of the wolves? Were they tame? Or maybe they were just large dogs. Or maybe it was a farm school. A giant-sized, wolfish-dog farm school.

Wind blew against my face. The scent of the trees and dirt filled my every breath. I'd never had a vision so vivid before. Usually it was just one or two senses, but this was all of them.

Someone brushed past me, and before I could react, my vision shifted to a one-room cabin. It was nighttime now. The two men—one about my dad's age, one maybe a few years older than me—were sitting at a table discussing something. No, they were arguing.

"Trusting some unknown outsider with—" The younger one stopped, and looked straight at me.

I froze. He couldn't actually be looking at me, could he?

"We're being watched."

No way. This was impossible. When I touched something, I only saw echoes of the past that had imprinted in the object. There was no way I could actually interact with a vision.

I had to test it. I had to know if he could see me. "Hello?" My voice cracked.

The younger guy stood up. "There's someone here. In this room."

"Can you see them?" the other one said.

The younger guy shook his head.

Then how could he hear me? Or could he hear me? Maybe he could just sense me? But how? I was looking into the past, wasn't I? There was no way I could've linked with whoever signed the papers. Because that would be way messed up.

The younger one continued to stare in my direction. The look he gave me made my pulse race; it was like he was seeing through my soul. His muscles strained against his black T-shirt as he stepped toward me. His inky black hair made his amber eyes seem brighter. Holy shit. He was way sexier than my favorite Scotsman.

"They're not going away. They're still here," he said.

"Do you know who it is?"

"No. But it feels familiar. I don't know, but whoever it is, it's like I know them." He ran his fingers through his short black hair. "That doesn't make sense."

No. It didn't. I'd never seen that guy before. I would've remembered meeting someone that hot.

The older man turned to me and said something in a language that I couldn't understand. And then it was like something shoved me out of the vision.

The next thing I knew, I was on the ground in my father's office.

Holy shit. What the hell was that? My vision actually interacted with me. The people in it knew I was there. That could mean only one thing.

Axel leaned over me. "Are you okay?"

"I'm not sure."

"What did you see?" he asked. "What's the story?"

I swallowed. There was only one logical conclusion, but it seemed impossible. But Occam's razor hadn't failed me yet. The simplest explanation was usually the correct one. And if that were true, then holy shit. I connectedwith whoever signed the papers.

Out of all the visions I'd had in my nearly eighteen years, nothing like that had ever happened before.

Not only that, but the older guy pushed me out of my own vision.

Could there actually be more people out there like me? And if so, then how did I not realize this sooner?

There had to be something to draw Dad to his new job. If St. Ailbe's was a school for the gifted, I wanted in. Maybe. Probably.

This was insane. I had to talk to Dad before I got my hopes up, but there was no chance of that happeningtonight.

Axel was asking question after question, but I ignored him. I needed air. And fast. That sensory overload had blown my mind. Possibly literally. Well, not technically literally. But still, all rational thoughts had fled.

I hopped up and swung the door open.

"Wait. Let me pick up—"

I left Axel to clean up the mess he'd made in Dad's office. I probably looked as crazed as I felt, since I somehow managed to get to the backyard without touching anyone.

Even with our decent-sized backyard, there wasn't a spot to disappear into. The pool took up most of the space. The path around it was sprinkled with cocktail tables, and people were packed around them, mingling. A bar was set up in the back and drawing a sizable crowd. The bartender was making a rowdy group a bunch of chilled shots, and a DJ played off to the right of the pool while people danced in front of his table.

This was a disaster waiting to happen. I didn't think I could make it to the stairs without bumping into someone, but there was no other option. It was worth the risk. Being alone right now was a must.

Before I could go back inside, a hand closed around my upper arm. Full-contact skin against skin.

Shit.

I slammed into a mind I was familiar with. The fact that he went out of his way to touch me when he knew what I was only made him that much creepier. Images of his fantasies flooded my mind. Sweaty bodies. Naked bodies. Ones he wanted to be with. Those he had been with. And to top it off—a few fantasies starring me.

Was it necessary for Axel to invite every asshole in his class to the party?

I wrenched my arm away and spun to face Caleb. If his visions didn't already make me want to kick his ass, hisskinny jeans and hipster smile did. Usually I'd just shake it off, but not tonight.

"What the hell is your problem!" I shoved him hard, and he stumbled back a few steps. "Do you really want me to see what goes on in your disgusting little mind? Do you think I want to see when you and Jessica were banging in your backseat? Do you think it turns me on? Because it doesn't." I poked him in the chest with my gloved-finger. "And if you think that I'd ever consider—"

"Tessa!" Axel said as he stepped between us. I don't know how long he'd been yelling my name, but from thesilence in the backyard, I could tell it'd been at least a few times.

Shit. Why did DJs always lower the music for a fight? Didn't they know that drawing attention to it made it worse?

I swallowed and looked around. And there was Mr. MacAvoy in the flesh, staring at me like I was a complete nut-job. Just perfect.

"Freaky Tessa is at it again. Bitch doesn't—"

My brother spun. I didn't have time to stop him before he punched Caleb in the face.

Caleb groaned as he fell to the ground.

"No one calls my sister a bitch, you—"

Dad appeared behind Axel and grabbed him before Axel could do any more damage to Caleb. "What the hell is going on out here?" He looked from my brother to me and then to Caleb, who was holding his hand against his face. It wasn't the first time this had happened, but it was the first time it'd happened during one of my father's parties.

I stared at the ground hard. "It was my fault." I didn't choke on the words, but they didn't come out easily.

"Tessa?" Mom said. "Why don't you go upstairs, honey?"

I nodded, doing my best to not look disappointed and failing. It hadn't been my idea to leave my room in the first place. Mom reached out to touch me, but I dodged her.

The crowd parted as I made my way inside. I tried not to listen to any of the whispers that followed in my wake. When I was halfway up the stairs, the DJ started playing again. By now, Mom would have taken care of Caleb, and Axel would go for a drive to wherever it was he went. And I would be here. Alone.

I couldn't wait to leave LA. The less population density this new town had the better.

Still, I wondered if Texas would be any better. I hoped so, but Axel was right. If I didn't learn to control these visions, my life would never be any kind of normal.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I was in bed trying to figure out how I'd let the night get so out of control when someone knocked on my door. Instead of waiting for an answer, Mom came in. She made her way around the boxes in my room and sat on the foot of my bed.

"On a scale of one to ten, how mad is Dad?"

Mom sighed. "He's not mad, honey."

I finally met her gaze. "I'm not buying that. I embarrassed him in front of all those people."

"What's a Hollywood party without a little drama?" She patted my leg. "We're more worried about you."

I stared at the ceiling. "It's fine. I'm fine."

"No. You're not. But we're hoping Texas will be better. That's the whole reason we're moving."

I gathered my courage and hoped for the answer I wanted. "Is St. Ailbe's a school for kids like me?"

She stuck her tongue out in a look of disgust. "No!" Then she laughed at herself. "No way. You would not fit in there. Trust me."

Interesting. So who would fit in there? "Then why Texas? Why make Dad leave his job instead of making me switch schools again?"

I'd been through most of the private ones in Los Angeles while in lower school. By third grade, I'd exhausted all options. They finally sent me back to my original one. It was a good school, but that's not why I went back there. The thinking was that my brother could keep an eye out for me. Their plan sort of worked. But my brother graduated, so that was that. Why my parents refused for me to do home schooling was beyond me. It would've made life so much easier.

"There's really no one left who will take you besides Westlake, and I know you don't want to stay there."

Well that was embarrassing. "What about the public schools?"

Mom shook her head. "Not in this county. I want you to have an excellent education in a safe setting. And with your brother going off to college, it's time for a new place. I always wanted an excuse to move back to Texas anyhow."

"I could always do home schooling."

"No way, kiddo. You're already in your own head enough. I won't let you become a hermit."

"But Dad—"

"Why don't you let me worry about your father? Okay? This job is a good one. He'll be making the same as he was here with a fraction of the workload. After you leave for college, we'll talk about coming back to LA, but I doubt we will. I have a feeling we're all going to be happier there. Plus, we'll be by your cousins. I think you'll find that you have more in common with them than you think."

That had me sitting up. "Seriously?" The crazy brujos? She thought I'd have more in common with a bunch of crazy people that thought they were witches. I knew my abuela had gifts like mine, but some of the stuff the rest of the family believed was really out there. I doubted they'd see eye to eye with me.

"It's my fault really. I didn't keep up with them after your abuela died." Her voice was soft, and tinged with regret. "But I tracked down my cousin Ana, and her twins Veronica and Carlos both have gifts. They're a few years younger than you, but it's better than nothing."

She had a point. They couldn't be any worse than the kids at school. Plus, who was I to judge someone for being weird.

Mom stood up, and smoothed down her dress. "I know it's been hard for you here, but it'll get easier."

"Thanks. As you can tell," I motioned to the boxes, "I think I might be ready to move."

She laughed. "Good. You can help me pack the kitchen tomorrow."

"Sure thing."

Dad popped in the doorway. "You okay, princess?"

I nodded. "Sorry, Dad."

"Don't apologize for things that aren't your fault." He turned to Mom. "People are clearing out."

"I'll be right down."

"Great." Dad winked at me. "Get some sleep, princess."

Mom stopped at the door. "Light on or off?"

"Off." She was almost out the door when I stopped her again. "Mom."

"Yes?"

"Thanks."

"You're very welcome." It was too dark to see her face, but I could tell from the sound of her voice that she was smiling.

I lay in the dark listening to the sounds of the dying party. I had been excited about the move, but now I was seriously pumped. Cousins with gifts? This could change everything. But why hadn't Mom contacted them before? What was different now?

The more I thought about it the more questions I had. And not only about my cousins, but about St. Ailbe's. And those wolf-dog things. And that guy.

Mostly about that guy.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I rested my head against the window as my father drove. We were almost to our new home. After all the build up, the next chapter in my life was just around the bend, and the anxiety of meeting it head-on had my knees bouncing.

At least Axel wasn't in the car with us. He and Mom were following us in his Jetta. We'd switched on the last stop so that Axel could eat his grotesque snack of choice. He was more than annoying when he didn't get his way. Dad and I had much more acceptable munchies in the form of M&M's and Cheetos in his Lexus SUV.

Neither car was fully packed with stuff. The moving van would come later today, and Mom's car was getting shipped here from LA. She didn't want anyone riding alone, just in case we got separated. I was still hoping now that Axel was taking off, a car for me would show up. It'd be nice not to have my parents drop me off on the first day of my senior year.

I grabbed for some snacks, more for a distraction than because I was hungry. I was trying to think positively about the chances of pulling off the whole "normal" thing at my new school, but the closer it got, the more my confidence waned. "Want any?" I held the open bag of Cheetos to Dad.

"I better not. Those things are like crack. Once you start, you'll never stop."

I fake gasped. "Dad! You've done crack?"

He laughed.

"But seriously. You dare turn down day-glow cheese?"

"Hey, I'm trying to undo the damage I did to myself when I was your age." He patted his stomach, which was mostly flat. He turned a corner into a gated complex. Although the word "complex" was a stretch. The gate opened onto a dirt road. Vegetation on either side threatened to swallow it.

"What's the code again?" Dad asked.

"Eighteen thirty-six." I scratched my head. "That sounds like a date."

He leaned out of the window to punch in the code. "Yup. Year of the battle of the Alamo. Welcome to Texas, princess." Leave it to Dad, the history buff, to know the answer.

Dad clicked his seat belt back into place, and we drove down the bumpy road. I checked the directions from Dad's new boss again. "Says here that we're the ninth driveway. If we get to the fork, then we've gone too far."

Dad grunted. "Well, we're definitely in for a change here."

"You could say that." It seemed like these tiny driveways were more like trails in a national park. I couldn't see any houses, and the "driveways" were really spread out.

When we reached the fifth, Dad cleared his throat. "So the head of St. Ailbe's is meeting us at the house with the keys. I, uh, just…" Dad trailed off.

"What?"

He sighed. "Try not to touch anything or have any visions in front of him. I didn't exactly say anything about—"

"Dad. Seriously. It's not a big deal. I would rather not have one either, but in the event that I do, I'll try to hide it. Cool?"

He patted my jean-clad leg. "Thanks, princess."

"That's nine." I pointed to the driveway. It curved down a hill and finally opened up to a beautifully manicured lawn. A circular drive with a giant oak tree in the middle led up to the pale yellow stucco house. Butterflies filled my stomach as we stopped in front. It wasn't as big as our house in LA, but almost. The white wrap-around porch drew my attention, especially the bench swing to the left of the front door. Off to the right was a white two-car garage.

Dad parked in front of the garage to leave the drive open, and Axel pulled up beside us. I slipped down from the SUV and pulled a pair of thin tie-dyed gloves from my pocket.

Mom hopped out of Axel's car and put her arm around me. "How was the last of the drive?"

"Fine. But you still smell like chicharones." I made a face. She tried to smother my face with kisses, but I pushed her away. "Nasty!"

The screen door squeaked open, which shocked me. Besides our two cars, there were no others here. A man stepped onto the porch, and we stopped goofing off. Mom straightened her shirt, and Dad knocked on Axel's window. "Quit texting."

I didn't fully turn to Dad's new boss until Axel was out of the car. I don't know why I was surprised to see the older man from my vision walking out of the house. He was the one who hired my dad, so he'd most likely held the papers that gave me the vision. But I was still caught with my mouth hanging open. The whole thing was weird, and that was saying something for a girl who was used to weird.

Now that I was seeing him in the flesh, Dad's boss looked a bit younger than my parents. Light brown hair curled around his neck. He hadn't shaved, giving him a rugged look that went along with his scarred hiking boots. He didn't make a sound as he walked down the steps, which was eerie enough without adding the fact that he'd co-starred in one of my oddest visions ever.

I didn't know I'd made a noise until Axel elbowed me. "Dude. You okay?"

I cleared my throat. "Totally. Why wouldn't I be?" Axel had been pestering me ever since I had the vision in Dad's office, but I hadn't spilled much. Maybe I should've told him, but I couldn't bring myself to. For some reason, my connection with the younger guy felt personal.

"Thank you for getting here so quickly, John," he said to Dad. "I'm Michael Dawson." His grey T-shirt was a smidge too tight around his arms, making it strain against his biceps as he reached out a hand.

Dad stepped forward to shake it. "Wasn't a problem. This is my wife, Gabriela, my son, Axel, and my daughter, Tessa."

Axel and I stayed by the car while our parents greeted him. It was better to keep my distance, less chance of a vision that way. But when Mr. Dawson reached to shake Axel's hand, he abandoned me. I sighed. This was going to be awkward.

Mr. Dawson held out his hand to me, but I didn't take it. "Welcome to Texas," he said. It sounded a little like a question.

Mom gave a nervous laugh instead of her normal booming one. "It's been a long drive, and we're a little cranky. But we can't wait to get settled in."

Nice save.

A breeze picked up, blowing my hair in my face. It'd finally grown past the bottom of my shoulder blades. I pulled a rubber band out of my pocket and yanked the wavy mess into a sloppy bun.

I followed them to the house. As soon as my flip-flop hit the bottom step I had a feeling that this house was going to be full of stuff for me to "see." I shoved my gloved hands in my pockets. Better safe than sorry while Mr. Dawson was around. Mom and Dad were touring the house with him. Axel hung back with me. "What's your deal?"

I shrugged. "Didn't you see how he walked?"

"No."

"Remember when we went to the San Diego Safari Park and spent the night and we went into the tiger enclosure?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Those cats were crazy. They were inches from us the whole time, and we didn't even notice it until the guide shined her flashlight on them."

"Exactly."

"And what does that have to do with Mr. Dawson?"

"He didn't make a sound coming down those stairs."

Axel shoved me. "You're messing with me."

I shoved him back. "No. I'm actually not. Pay better attention next time."

We walked through the door and went the opposite way my parents had gone, ending up in a living room.

"Look at this yard," Axel said as he looked out a back window.

"What yard? All I see is forest."

"That's what I'm saying."

I shook my head. He was so weird sometimes. "I'm going to go claim my room." I found it upstairs, first door on the left, complete with en suite bathroom. It was even better than the pictures Dad had shown us. A bay windowwith a bench faced the front yard. The unpaved driveway disappeared around the corner, hidden by the forest.

Axel stomped into my new room. "Oh, this is for sure my room."

"No. Yours is next to Mom and Dad's. This is mine."

"No way. I'm older. I get this one. With the tree, it'd give me maximum sneaking-out capabilities."

"Dude." I smacked him on the back of his head. "You're not really going to be living here."

"Right. Forgot about that part."

I snorted.

"This can be your room I guess."

I rolled my eyes. "Perfect. Thanks so much."

Mom called from downstairs.

"Coming." We walked down to find her.

"How are you guys doing?" she asked as soon as we entered the kitchen. Dad and Mr. Dawson were standing around the kitchen island with her. It was a nice, bright white kitchen with granite counters and stainless steel appliances.

"My room is much better than Axel's and that's what counts, right?"

"That's right," Dad said.

"Hey!" Axel said.

Mr. Dawson chuckled and the sound gave me goosebumps. There was something off about him, and I wanted to figure out what it was.

"I opened all the windows down here to air it out a bit with that nice breeze," Mom said. "But it's so hot out, we'll need to close them in a minute. Help me with that?"

"Sure," I said.

"This is going to be great for us," Dad said.

"It's a good house. I hope you'll be comfortable here," Mr. Dawson said. "But it's important to remember that it's more secluded than you'd think."

I stifled a snort. My teeth were still rattling from the last mile of "road."

Mr. Dawson smirked. Guess I hadn't stifled it quick enough.

"Behave," Mom whispered to me.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"There's lots of wildlife in this forest, especially wolves," Mr. Dawson said.

"Wolves?" Dad laughed. "You're kidding," he said with a slightly high pitch to his voice. Dad always did that when he was lying to us. He knew exactly what Mr. Dawson was talking about.

I glanced at Mom. She shrugged, not giving me anything to go on.

Now I knew my vision was real. Something was definitely up with St. Ailbe's and the people who went there. Mr. Dawson had my full attention. I wanted to see how he was going to explain away these "wolves" of his.

"Unfortunately, I'm not kidding." His voice was firm, leaving no room for misunderstanding. His gaze met mine with such a force that I wanted to look away but couldn't. "If you leave them alone, they'll leave you alone. You're safe here. Just stay close to the house after dark."

"Thanks for the warning. We'll keep an eye out," Mom said.

"I'd advise staying away from my St. Ailbe's kids. They're not like most other teenagers and can be a bit unstable. Even violent. Which is why we need the help of people like your Dad." He paused. "They might look normal, but they're not. Under no uncertain terms should you make friends with them. You'd be risking your life. Your future. Understand, Tessa?"

His intensity made me nervous. "Sure," I said, although I wasn't sure I understood at all. In fact, the only good his little speech did was make me want to find a St. Ailbe's kid to befriend.

His gaze was suddenly too much, and I looked down at my feet.

"I doubt you'll run into my students too often," Mr. Dawson said. "They stick pretty close to campus, and John, you'll be doing everything from the offices downtown. The school isn't too far from here though—just on theother side of the creek."

That sounded far. "Where's your car?" I said. Axel elbowed me. Jeeze. Was it elbow Tessa day or what? My question was perfectly valid. It wasn't out front when we pulled in.

"I hiked." I must've made a face because Mr. Dawson explained. "The creek backs up to the house. You've got maybe fifty feet of trees before you'll hit a steep drop. The bottom is the bed of the creek. It's been dry for years though. It's only a couple mile hike from here to the school." A honk sounded from the driveway. "That's one of my former students now. He graduated a couple years ago, and teaches occasionally. John, you'll get to know him well. He's my second here. I know you've got movers coming in a bit, but I thought you might want help unloading your cars after such a long drive."

"Perfect. Thanks, Michael." Dad grabbed the keys from his pocket. "Axel, get to it."

Dad tossed the keys to Axel, but I caught them. "I'll help."

Dad shared a look with Mr. Dawson. "Axel, go with your sister."

That wasn't awkward at all. Why didn't Dad want me to go outside? Axel and I walked out the front door, but I stopped just outside.

He was here. The younger guy from the vision. The one who could tell that I was having the vision. The one I linked to.

My breathing was shallow as I watched him move. I didn't want to make a noise, not even from breathing. I wanted to watch him in real life for a second. He was at least as fit as Mr. Dawson, and had the same soundless stride. I could feel his restlessness as if it were my own. He pulled off his sunglasses and stuck them in the collar of his blue t-shirt. I smiled when I noticed the band artwork on the front—The Helio Sequence. That album was in heavy rotation on my playlist.

Axel called out to him and my moment of watching unnoticed was shattered. I stumbled back a step.

"Tessa?" Mr. Dawson said, suddenly close. "Are you okay?"

I tried to move away, but he was already reaching out to steady me.

"Don't touch her!" Dad said.

Too late. He gripped my bicep, skin-to-skin.

Running. Panting. Wind ruffled his fur. His paws slammed the ground at a fast pace.

Faster. Must go faster.

Mr. Dawson was there with me. I could feel him in my head, an unwelcome visitor, seeing what I saw. It felt like an invasion, and I wanted him gone. I pushed him out as the vision faded. And just as quickly as it started, I was back on the porch, staring into Mr. Dawson's hazel eyes.

I knew I should pull away from him, but the look he was giving me warned me not to even try. I was paralyzed as I waited for one of us to break the silence.

That was the second time my visions had gone wonky. This time was way more unsettling than the last.

And shit. Dad was going to be pissed.

His lips turned up as that thought ran through my mind. "I see we've both got our secrets," he whispered so that only I could hear it.

Crap. Was he reading my mind? If he were telepathic, that could explain why my visions were weird with him. I'd never met anyone with gifts before, not since my abuela passed, and I was too young to really remember her anyway.

He smiled.

Crap. I've got to stop thinking stuff.

Mom stepped between us and pulled me away from him. "You okay, Tess?"

"I think so." Sorry, I mouthed. So much for making a good impression.

"My daughter doesn't like to be touched." Dad tried to explain. "She's got this condition—"

"It was my fault." Mr. Dawson stared at me as if he could see right through me. Then he nodded, and took the keys from my gloved hand. "Head's up, Dastien!" He threw the keys.

Dastien caught them without looking from fifteen feet away. He didn't take too much notice of me. Not like I wanted him to. He walked to the cars as a breeze whipped through the house, slamming the screen door shut behind me. He spun. His eyes, dark before, flashed to glowing amber.

That had to be a trick with the light.

We stood there staring at each other. I couldn't look away, and I was sure he couldn't either.

He was too far away for me to hear, but his lips moved and I knew what he said. It was the same thing I'd been thinking. "It's you."

Mr. Dawson cleared his throat. "Maybe it's best if we leave you to it."

"Yes, but thank you for your offer," Mom said. "Tessa's not great with strangers."

Perfect, Mom. Way to make me sound like a freak. I shot her a look that said as much.

"Let's talk on Wednesday, John." Mr. Dawson walked to the car. His movements were not only silent, but also graceful and efficient. Almost like a dancer's, but somehow more dangerous. The two men argued, but then Dastien's shoulders drooped. He placed the keys on the hood of our car and headed to his. He stared at me before getting into the passenger side.

I didn't realize I was holding my breath until they were gone and I was left gasping for air.

"You okay?" Axel said.

I swallowed. "Yeah. Of course. I'm fine."

"You sure, mija?" Mom said. "You look pale."

"I'm fine," I said it with a little more force than was necessary, but didn't apologize for it. I headed to Dad's SUV and stared at the keys. I thought about taking off the gloves and holding them for a second just to see what would happen, but I had a feeling my mind had taken in all the information it could for today. The gloves had to stay on, at least for now.

I unlocked the doors and started unloading our bags.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

For days I kept staring out the windows, hoping Dastien would come back, but he never did. I guessed he didn't really have any reason to come back. That didn't stop me from wanting it. I was curious about him and needed to figure out why I was so drawn to him. Hours filled with unpacking endless boxes went by, and I started to wonder if what I'd seen, what I'd felt, had been a figment of my imagination. For a girl who was used to seeing things that weren't there, it wasn't completely out of the realm of the possible. But it'd be a damn shame. Just the thought of seeing Dastien again had my palms sweating and I kind of liked it.

But Dastien wasn't the only thing on my mind. The house was a minefield of visions. Sometimes they were normal, everyday stuff—people laughing, fighting, getting ready for work. Then I'd touch something and rage would fill my body. My blood would boil and an animalistic urge to destroy things would consume me, but I wouldn't exactly see anything. It was all emotions, which I was adding to the weird and new category. So far, Texas was turning out to be pretty interesting.

By the end of the weekend, the house was mostly in order—all the essentials in the right spots even if they weren't totally organized—so I started attacking the boxes in my room. I dusted my books off, placing each one—sorted alphabetically and by genre—on the shelves Dad installed. What some people might call "anal," I'd call efficient. What good was it to have a book if you couldn't find it when you wanted it?

When I was done, I sat on the bed and stared at my collection. Axel and Dad were arguing over what station to stream music from. Dad wanted classic rock and Axel wanted hip-hop. Dad informed Axel that there were no "thugs" in the house.

I was laughing at their verbal sparring when Mom came into my room holding a stack of clean towels. She pointed at my gloveless hands. "How's it going in here?"

"Fine." I waved toward my books. "Got them unpacked."

She set the pile down on my bed. "What about the rest? The house giving you any trouble?"

I shrugged. "Define trouble."

"Anything you need to talk about?"

"Nah. I think I've got it covered. But thanks for the offer."

She settled down next to me. "You okay? Your brother's leaving in a week and half, we're living in a different state, and your new school starts tomorrow. It'd be totally cool to admit you're nervous."

"Have you met me? This whole no-brother, new school combo is going to rock."

Mom gave me her patented I'm-not-buying-the-line-of-crap-you're-selling look.

"Axel leaving is gonna suck."

She kept silent as she stared at me.

"Okay, so I'm nervous about next week. I'm a freak, but I'm also human. Who wouldn't be?"

"That's what I thought."

"I don't know why admitting it was helpful. It didn't do me any good."

"Well, it made me feel better."

I laughed.

"Kidding. But admitting your nerves is the first step to getting over them." She smiled. "And you're not a freak. You're gifted."

"There's a difference?"

Her smile turned into a full-on grin. "I'll admit. It's slight, but there is a difference." She put her arm around my shoulders, and I leaned into her. "You're going to do great. People here are nice, more down to earth."

"So you've said." But I wasn't holding my breath. I was a freak to the core, and even if the people were "down to earth," chances were they wouldn't be down with me.

"And now your cousins are only an hour away. Once we get more settled, we'll have them over for dinner. They'll understand you, even if the other kids don't."

She had me there. If they were "gifted" too, then maybe I could finally figure out how to have a normal life. "Sounds like a solid plan."

"Have you eaten anything?"

I thought for a second. "Zone Bar?" I might have forgotten to eat again. When an organizational task was put in front of me, I was a girl on a mission. Puny matters like eating faded away.

"A woman cannot live on Zone Bars alone." She gave me another squeeze before getting up. "Don't worry so much. It's all going to work out. Your dad and I are leaving for dinner. Date night, remember?"

I nodded. Every Sunday, rain or shine, Mom and Dad had a date. It was cute. I kind of envied them, but I had time to figure the whole boyfriend thing out. One day I'd find a way to be a regular girl with a totally awesome guy by my side.

Okay, so I'd take an average one. I'd even settle for a mediocre one at this point. The blame wasn't on them; it was totally me. No one needed to be inside the head of a teenage boy when you're the object of their thoughts. Because seriously, eew. Which defeated the purpose entirely.

"There are frozen pizzas in the freezer, and we'll leave money in case you and your brother want to go somewhere. Eat. It's an order."

"Got it. Starvation-chic is not my look." I grabbed an old Nora Roberts book and settled down in my window bench to escape for a bit. The predictability of her books drew me in quickly. There was nothing more certain in life than the ending of a good romance novel.

A few chapters in, Mom yelled that they were leaving. I watched them get into the car and disappear around the curve in the road.

Alone at last. I'd been feeling antsy since we got here, and it'd only gotten worse. For me there were only two things that would quiet my mind, dancing and running. I'd already gone for my morning jog, and had been waiting for a chance to blast some music.

I clicked on last week's BBC One Essential Mix, turned the volume up as loud as I could stand it, and started dancing around my room.

Axel walked in without knocking and turned off the music. "Are you trying to make everyone in the state deaf?"

Or not. "Who said you could come in here?"

"I did. We're parentless!" He hammed it up with some cheering, and then collapsed on my bed.

"That's hardly cause for celebration." I rolled my eyes. "Come on. I've been listening to what everyone else wants to for days now. Can I just—"

"No."

I kicked his shin.

"Ow. Don't be so violent." He rubbed his shin. "It's your last night before starting a brand new school year."

I groaned. "Not you too. Can we please drop the whole 'school starts tomorrow' talk? I'd like to live in denial for a little while longer."

"One thing, try not to bite the head off of the first friendly person you meet. Promise me."

I crossed my arms and gave him my best tough-girl look. "Dude. I'm not a bitch. I'll be as friendly as people are to me."

"Riiiiight." I went to kick his shin again, but he hopped out of the way. "Let's go for a drive. We can scout out apizza place."

"Fine, but I get to pick the toppings."

"No way. You picked last time."

I grabbed a pair of gloves and my flip-flops. "Yeah, but you like to experiment with nasty combinations. The fact that you actually picked pineapple and anchovy means that you should be banned for life in the topping-picking department."

"I still think the combo of sweet and salty could've been a good thing. It was nearly genius."

"Near genius doesn't count." I shoved him. "Moron."

He clutched his chest. "I'm hurt by your name calling."

"Good." I grinned. "Your ego could stand to lose a few pounds."

"What's wrong with knowing that I'm awesome?" He messed up my hair.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

When we were on the way back with the pizza, a strange sensation tingled through my body. It was like a weight had settled over me. This intense sense of foreboding mixed in my blood making me cold.

By the time we got home, it was dark. Axel went into the house, but I lingered outside for a minute, sitting on the porch swing as I tried to figure out what was making me feel that way. I knew that staying outside after dark was a bad idea, but I couldn't help myself.

Goosebumps ran up and down my arms. The full moon hung low and yellow. The crazies would be out tonight, or so Mom always said when it looked like that. I smiled. I was outside, so she had a point.

I hadn't even realized that there had been noise outside until it was suddenly gone. The cicadas song cut off. The owls stopped hooting. There was no rustling of the leaves. Everything was still. A healthy dose of fear pumped through my veins.

A wolf crashed out from the woods. Then three more. They were playing, not really noticing I was there as they rolled around on the ground and pawed at each other. I probably should've been scared, but in that moment, I wasn't. They were on the other side of the driveway, and I felt safe on the porch. I relaxed in the swing as I watched them. One of them bit another one's tail, making the bitee yelp. I laughed.

One of them suddenly stopped playing and looked straight at me.

Dumb. I was so unbelievably dumb. These weren't wolves in a cage. These wolves could actually come over here and eat me.

I thought about darting inside. It probably would've been the smarter choice, but I didn't want to spook them by moving.

One of them came closer to the porch.

I stood up, torn between going down the stairs to pet it and rushing inside. I wasn't stupid, but the way it was moving—with its head down and tongue out—it looked more curious than dangerous.

Before I could do anything, another wolf jumped out of the woods. It was beautiful, mostly white with patches of gray sprinkled along its face and back. The coloring seemed much more regal than the shades of brown the others were. It slid to a stop in between me and the approaching brown wolf, snarling.

Shit. That one was pissed and was more likely to eat me. I should've gone inside.

The new wolf stared down each of the others, and they started to whine and rolled over, exposing their stomachs. It had to be the alpha of the bunch. It howled and the others scrambled up, fleeing back into the woods.

The alpha turned to me.

My heart pounded. I stepped back into the front door until the doorknob of the screen door dug into my back. The wolf sat down on the ground to watch me.

Something about it seemed familiar. I couldn't quite place it, but the face and its eyes just had this quality like I knew I'd seen it somewhere before. But I knew I hadn't.

"Tess!" Axel swung the front door open. "You're eating or what? The pizza's getting cold."

I turned away from the wolf for a second, and when I looked back, it was gone.

My breath came in short gasps as I looked back to Axel and then to the drive again.

"You okay?"

I shook my head. "I don't know." I moved out of the way so Axel could open the screen door. He grabbed my gloved hand and pulled me inside.

"Come on," he said softly. "You need to eat."

I let him pull me inside. The whole exchange with the wolves went by so quickly that I wondered if it had actually happened. For the second time since I'd arrived in Texas, I was questioning my sanity.

Yet another thing to add to the weird and new category.

The next morning I must've changed a million times. I finally settled on casual. My favorite band T-shirt—a vintage Orb from their album Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld—plus jeans, chucks, and black loose-knit gloves with deep purple accents. It didn't look like I was trying too hard. Even if no one else my age knew who The Orb was, the design was cool.

Mom and Dad were in the kitchen when I got downstairs. I did a spin. "What do you think?"

"Beautiful," Mom said. She was still in her pink fluffy robe, with the belt knotted at her waist.

"That's not helpful. You have to say that. You're my mother." I looked down at my T-shirt. "Too weird? I might not need any extra help in that area."

Mom laughed. "You have to be who you are."

Dad was already in his full suit. His hair was still a little damp from the shower. "Except let's not take off the gloves today. Okay, princess?"

"John!" Mom was about to dig into Dad again.

"It's too early in the morning for contradicting parents. Be yourself. Don't be yourself. My head hurts already. Someone get me my AM medicine quickstyle."

Dad opened the fridge and handed me an icy cold Diet Coke.

I popped the top and took a long chug. "Okay. Brain function returning. So which one of you lucky parental units is going to drive me to school?"

They shared a look. "Neither," Mom said.

I set down my Diet Coke. "Well, if you think I'm going to go wake up Axel, then you're going to be disappointed. I don't feel like getting slugged."

"He's not driving you either," Dad said.

"Are you guys high? I can't walk to school from here. It'd take me all day." No way. "Please don't tell me I have to catch the bus for my first day of senior year. Even you two wouldn't be that cruel." It wasn't that I had anything against taking the bus, per se, but for me it presented all kinds of problems. The goal was to minimize the number of visions I got per day, not add to them.

They just stood there smiling. Waiting for me to realize something.

Holy shit.

My only defense for being so dense was that it was before eight AM. Anything before ten AM and I'm lucky if I can speak my native language coherently.

I ran out the front door. A new black VW Tiguan sat in the driveway with the other cars. "Nice." Any car would've been amazing, but they'd picked the exact one I'd been lusting after.

Dad stepped out onto the porch and handed me the keys. "Have a good day, princess."

I shocked him by giving him a big hug. Then ran inside and did the same to Mom.

"Thanks, guys. Way to start my year off in style."

Dad wrapped an arm around Mom as she stepped outside to wave good-bye. "We try," he said. "Now go, or you'll be late."

Once inside, I took a deep breath and inhaled the lovely new leather scent. The car was a classic black on black. And it was perfect. I set up my iPhone to link to it, and once I had the navi going and my music playing, I headed for school.


End file.
